From Jan 28 to Feb 5, the Bay Area Orienteering Club is organizing the 2012 Sierra Ski-O Tour. The tour is the first ski-orienteering event outside of Europe to host the Ski-Orienteering World Cup. The Tour also includes the 2012 North American and U.S. Ski-O Championships, a couple of recreational events, and two World Ranking Events.

Representing Canada at the World Cup races are:

Marie-Catherine Bruno (Sage) (Silverstar, BC)
Marta Green (Sage) (Vernon, BC)
Carol Ross (ONB) (Truckee, CA)
Mark Tarnopolsky (GHO) (Hamilton, ON)
Mike Smith (ONB) (Prince George, BC)
Nick Duca (Stars) (Kitchener, ON)

You can follow the races and results here. Be sure to leave a comment here to wish these 6 athletes well.

The COF’s High Performance Committee (HPC) is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the Canadian High Performance Program. We are now accepting applications for athletes, as well as technical and non-technical volunteer positions.

VOLUNTEERS
Over the last few seasons, the High Performance Program (HPP) has made some big strides as a result of the hard work of the athletes and initiatives by the High Performance Committee. The success of our initiatives have not only contributed to a better racing and training environment for Canada’s best orienteers, but have also created an enhanced vibrancy in the entire Canadian orienteering community, and in particularly has given younger athletes a growing number of role models and reasons to be excited about the sport.

As the HPP continues to look forward, one of the most important steps is to provide better support for our national athletes at major international competitions, and therefore we are looking to fill the following roles.

• WUOC Team Coach – job description
• Administration Team Positions – job description

For full job description and application details, please click on the link!

ATHLETES
The 2012 version of the COF’s Athletes’ handbook is now on-line at www.orienteering.ca/team-canada/high-performance.

The Athletes’ Handbook outlines the process to become an athlete member of the COF’s High Performance Program in 2012. This HPP is designed to support Canada’s current and up-and-coming elite orienteers. Canadian athletes who are competitive in the 21-34 or 17-20 categories are eligible to become members of the HPP.

The Athletes’ Handbook also outlines the selection process for the 2012 Junior World Orienteering Championships, World Orienteering Championships, World University Orienteering Championships and World Cup races. The handbook also includes information and the application for the 2012 Rising Stars awards.

There were 29 HPP members in 2011. How many will there be in 2012? The application deadline is December 31, 2011

ABOUT THE HIGH PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE
The HPP is administered by the COF’s High Performance Committee. The HPC consists of a variety of Canadian orienteers from coast to coast, who are dedicated to enhancing and expanding elite orienteering in Canada. The HPC works throughout the year on various projects aimed at strengthening resources and support for our elite orienteers during the training season, providing sufficient support at international events, and promoting elite orienteering within the Canadian orienteering community and beyond. Some examples of HPC achievements for 2011 are the fundraising events (such as the HPP relay at the 2011 COC’s), the Canada Cup Elite Series, and arena organization at major events.

Canada’s High Performance Program
Talent + Dedication + Support → Performance = Growth

The final 3 Canada Cup races of the year were held this past weekend as part of the Ottawa Orienteering Festival.

The top male and female in the Elite Series received $300 cash and the top 3 men and women received a pair of VenoTrain sport compression socks donated by Bauerfeind Canada (valued at $100/pair). The top club won bragging rights!

After 17 Canada Cup elite series races this year, the top 3 women were:

1. Louise Oram (Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club)
2. Carol Ross (Orienteering New Brunswick)
3. Katherine Scheck (Yukon Orienteering Association).

The top 3 men were:

1. Will Critchley (Edmonton Overlanders Orienteering Club)
2. Robbie Anderson (Ottawa Orienteering Club)
3. Magnus Johansson (Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club).

The top club was the Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club (GVOC).

The Canada Cup Elite Series was created at the beginning of 2011 as a annual point scoring competition for the women and men’s 21-34 elite age categories. It is targeted at the Training To Win stage of the COF’s Long Term Athlete Development Model. Runners scored points for themselves and their clubs by placing well in the elite categories. Points were accumulated over the season. The creation of the Elite Series coincided with the name change of our highest standard of races, from A meets to Canada Cups. All Canada Cup races counted toward the Elite Series standings, with bonus points for Canadian Championship races.

“The first year of the Canada Cup elite series gave me a new motivation to hit the big events across Canada”, explained Will Critchley of Edmonton. “These events were already important for training, but a competitive season-long series was an added incentive to attend as many as I could. It is an exciting initiative for Canadian orienteering, as all elite Canadians need more opportunities for high level competition, and my new personal best of 38th at the World Championships shows that I owe a debt of gratitude to the COF and all the organizers of the Elite Series races.  I’m thrilled that I’ve put my stamp on Canada Orienteering history as the first ever Canada Cup Elite Series winner.”

“I really enjoyed the Canada Cup races this season. I am grateful to all the event organizers for putting on so many high caliber races”  said Louise Oram. “My favourite races of the year were the Canadian Championship in the Yukon, especially the long distance race through the Carcross desert.”

“The COF thanks all the event organizers and the competitors for making the first season of the Canada Cup Elite Series such a success” said Patrick Goeres, Athletes’ Representative and chair of the COF’s High Performance Committee.

The COF also thanks Bauerfeind Canada for donating VenoTrain sport compression socks. Bauerfeind is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of medical aids. They develop and produce supports/braces, orthoses, medical compression stockings and orthopedic orthoses. Their highly effective products have won many awards for function and design.

The final standings of the Canada Cup Elite Series are available here.
The scoring details are available here.

The Canadian Orienteering Federation (COF) and the High Performance Committee (HPC)  is pleased to announce Brent Langbakk of Whitehorse, Yukon, as the new coach of the Junior National Orienteering Team. Brent is a certified NCCP Level 3 coach and is also currently the head coach of the Yukon Orienteering Team. As testament to Brent’s success, in 2011 there were 7 Yukon athletes in the Canadian High Performance Program and Yukon athletes won 38 medals at the 2011 Canadian Championships. In 2010, Brent was awarded Coach of the Year by Sport Yukon. Brent was also one of three coaches involved in the 2011 National Summer Training Centre in Whitehorse and has served as the Athletes’ Representative on the COF Board. In this role he also served as the Chair of the High Performance Committee. Previously to his work as a coach, Brent had a long and impressive elite career himself as he represented Canada as an athlete at 5 World Orienteering Championships.

Canada recently has had only one National Team Coach, Magnus Johansson, who has been responsible for both senior and junior athletes. By creating the Junior National Team Coach position it will allow the two coaches to spend more time interacting with athletes. In particular the junior and senior athletes will now work with the same coach/team leader who will accompany them to the Junior World Orienteering Championships or World Orienteering Championships.

As well as leading the team to international events, such as the Junior World Championships, Brent will be responsible for the guidance and monitoring of junior HPP athletes throughout the year. He will work closely with Senior National Team Coach Magnus to ensure athletes can transition to the senior ranks smoothly and to resolve issues common to both teams. In addition, Brent will continue to be a member of and also report to the High Performance Committee.

“I am honoured to be given this opportunity. It wasn’t a decision I took lightly” explains Brent. “There is some momentum behind the High Performance Program now and junior development is key if we are to keep the momentum going. Canada has a talented crop of juniors who I am really looking forward to working with.”

“Having two national team coaches is a great step forward for high performance orienteering in Canada,” says Charlotte MacNaughton, COF Executive Director. “Brent is certainly well qualified for the role of junior national team coach and we are thrilled to have Brent joining Magnus in working closely with our elite orienteers.”

Brent Langbakk’s term as the Athletes’ Representative is now over. Brent is pleased to announce that Patrick Goeres will be taking over as the new Athletes’ Representative.

As a reminder, the Athletes’ Representative serves several important functions within the COF:
• sits as a full voting member on the COF Board
• attends the annual AthletesCAN Forum
• is a member of the High Performance Committee
• represents the national team athletes and acts on their behalf in the above venues

The Athletes’ Rep has to have been a senior National Team member in the last 8 years. The current junior and senior national teams elect an individual to fill the position. Back in January, the High Performance Committee called for nominations. No nominations were received so the High Performance Committee was left with the task of finding someone to fill this role.

Thank you Patrick Goeres for taking on the role as the new Athletes’ Representative. As well as being a long-standing member of the National Team, Patrick has already taken on several leadership roles. He has been a member of the High Performance Committee since its inception a couple of years ago so he is already familiar with much of what the role of Athletes’ Rep entails. Patrick’s term will be for two years until the 2013 AGM.

Hello from Aix-les-Baines in the glorious French Alps, where hundreds of the world’s best orienteers have gathered to fight for the title of World Champion in the Long, Middle, Sprint and Relay events. Over fifty countries are represented, which is a new record. Also there are almost 4,000 spectators who will be cheering their favourites and also competing amongst themselves in the “public races”.

Pre-event racing in adjacent terrain has shown that Thierry Gueorgiou (FRA) will be favourite in the men’s race, having won the test races by massive margins. But perhaps the others have adapted to the terrain and will be able to challenge for the Golds. It will be very exciting. In the women’s races Simone Nigili the perennial favourite is taking a year off, so maybe it will be a chance for Marianne Andersen (NOR) or Minna Kauppi (FIN) to do well. But there is a lot of racing to be done before we will find out who is the best in 2011.

What can we hope for from the Canadian Team? The team’s major goal is to have at least one top-16 finish in any of the finals or in the relays. This is a very ambitious goal, with perhaps the best chance being in the women’s relay on the final day of competition. We also hope to see some number of finalists, perhaps most likely in the sprint and middle races. We have three first-time WOC competitors looking to gain some valuable experience: Damian, Emily, and Robbie. And as always, there will be the fight for North American bragging rights – with the Canadian team looking for revenge after having lost out to the American’s in the 2010 BK Cup at the NAOCs.

Saturday afternoon is the Long distance qualification race. There will be three heats and the top 15 runners in each heat will advance to the final which is held later in the week. Canada is represented tomorrow by the following five (shown with their start times):
12:00 Carol Ross
12:42 Louise Oram
13:28 Damian Konotopetz
14:16 Will Critchley
14:37 Wil Smith

Other members of Team Canada, awaiting their turn to race are:
Emily Kemp
Patrick Goeres
Robbie Anderson
Mike Smith

Team Officials: Magnus Johansson, Andrea Balakova and  Ross Burnett

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION:

• Read the Team Canada blog
• Adrian Zissos will be tweeting away all through WOC – you can follow for up to the second updates – follow the COF on Twitter @OrienteeringCan
• Check the COF’s facebook page (you don’t need a facebook account to read this page)

• Check for live results and GPS tracking (in the finals only probably) at www.woc2011.fr
• Check the discussions on Attackpoint
• Get the latest gossip and comments from around the world at www.worldOfO.com (a good place to start, with links to live links and also to a runner database)

HOW TO SUPPORT THE TEAM

• Read the Team Canada blog and post comments. These comments have a huge impact on team moral – they want to hear from you!!
• Have a WOC party! The Sprint in particular should be great to watch live. Get a big screen, call over some orienteering friends, and have a morning coffee while cheering on the Canadians
• You can also post comments and good luck messages on the athletes’ profile pages:
  Carol Ross, Emily Kemp, Louise Oram
  Damian Konotopetz, Mike Smith, Patrick Goeres, Robbie Anderson, Will Critchley, Wil Smith